To dart, or not to dart?

The vet and rangers stood under one tree. Vronsky, one of Amboseli’s “super tuskers,” stood under another nearby.

Vronsky was just coming out of a period known as musth, a state of heightened sexual behavior accompanied by a rise in reproductive hormones, which can lead to an increased risk of complications during anaesthetization.

But the injury to his leg was worsening, and he was having trouble walking. If left untreated, he would certainly die. In the end, the decision was an easy one.

The darting was straightforward, but the wound turned out to be anything but. There was a deep puncture that was cleaned and treated, but more worrying was the discovery of trauma to the leg joint. It was impossible to tell how he got the injury. The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust-funded KWS vet did what he could, but Vronsky’s chances of a full recovery were maybe 50/50.

After the anesthetic was reversed, there was a brief scary moment when he struggled to get up, but with a rope around one of his giant tusks, a Land Cruiser was able to pull him into an upright position, and he stood from there.

In the days following, Big Life rangers tracked Vronsky daily. Each day, he was walking more easily than the last. The swelling slowly subsided, and more than a month later, we are happy to report that he appears to have made a full recovery.

Our partners at Amboseli Trust for Elephants (who also assisted during the treatment) have monitored him since birth, and so we know that Vronsky turns 48 later this year. Thanks to this intervention he should make it to that birthday, and hopefully many more! Photos: Jeremy Goss Watch the reel on Instagram.

Snares are a cruel and awful way to kill animals. Poachers set the deadly nooses on well-used trails and unsuspecting animals get caught around the neck or ankle, the wire pulling tighter as they try to escape.

Thanks to Big Life’s rangers, three animals won’t suffer that death, after a unit on a patrol discovered three recently set snares. The rangers waited through the following day and night, hoping to catch the poachers checking on their traps with an ambush, but no-one returned. The snares were thus seized and destroyed.

Snares can be cheaply and easily made and are widely used by poachers across Africa. The only way to find and destroy them is to walk the paths that animals walk, and that’s what Big Life’s rangers do, every day of every year.

Please support us, to support them.

Last week we were delighted to celebrate the opening of a brand-new 96-bed girls’ dormitory at Ol Donyo Oibor primary school near Kimana, made possible through our partnership with the charity Big Girls Foundation.

The school borders the ALOCA conservancies, which protect a vital wildlife corridor connecting Amboseli National Park and Kimana Sanctuary, and this dormitory is a brilliant example of how conservation can offer significant benefits to those living in wildlife areas.

Girls and young women in Amboseli face particular challenges. It is unfortunately still common for families to send sons to school instead of daughters, particularly when finances are limited. The setbacks do not stop there - domestic responsibilities, menstruation, teen pregnancy, and early marriage all play a role in preventing girls from completing their schooling.

Under these circumstances boarding schools become something of a refuge, providing a safe space for girls to focus on their education.

We are grateful to the Big Girls Foundation, who donated $65,000 to fund the construction of this dormitory and have had an enormous impact on Big Life’s education program. Of the 679 students sponsored this year, 180 are supported by Big Girls Foundation, including 17 at tertiary level.

Together with our donors and partner organizations we are laying the groundwork for positive transformation throughout the Greater Amboseli ecosystem, and a future that is bright for both humans and wildlife. Photo: Joshua Clay

First, we worked with landowners to secure the land. Nairrabala - a critical 37,500-acre wildlife corridor that connects Amboseli National Park to the north of the ecosystem - will now be protected by 20-year conservation land leases.

Then, we recruited. The area and it’s wildlife need protection, and ten new rangers were selected from the Olgulului ranch where Nairrabala is located. No one knows their home better than they do.

Next, we trained. The ten ranger recruits went through an intensive 1-month training course  at the Amboseli Conservation Academy, honing the skills needed to protect the wildlife and habitats entrusted to their care.

The Nairrabala unit is already in the field, operating as a newly minted mobile ranger team. Next, they’ll assess the best location for a permanent ranger outpost.

But for now, we celebrate. In April, we formally launched the Nairrabala Conservancy with a celebration led by the Olgulului Ranch Chairman, Daniel Leturesh, and Big Life’s Executive Chairman, Richard Bonham.

To commemorate the occasion, the newest addition to Big Life’s vehicle fleet was ceremonially handed over to the Nairrabala ranger unit with an exchange of keys and handshakes.

It was a joyous occasion, possible because of a community partnership, and you, our supporters around the world. As the Amboseli ecosystem subdivides and wild habitats are increasingly at risk of disappearing to human development, successes like Nairrabala are an accomplishment we all share.

Heartfelt thanks to the D.N. Batten Foundation for funding the vehicle and future outpost, Lenny’s Pennies Fund for sponsoring the ranger unit, and the Chantecaille Conservation Foundation and all our supporters the world over who responded to our call for funding to secure the leases for this first year.

Photos: Joshua Clay